John Smith wrote:
Roy Lewallen wrote:

...
This is correct. Cecil and others have often muddled things by
considering only average power, and by doing this, important
information is lost. (As was the case of the statistician who drowned
crossing a creek whose average depth was only two feet.)
...


This:
2. Microwave ovens use standing waves to cook food. This means that
nodes, where the amplitude is zero (where the wave crosses the x-axis),
remain at nearly fixed locations in the oven, and cooking won't occur at
those locations.

From he
http://faculty.fortlewis.edu/tyler_c..._microwave.htm

Now, you can argue that any damn way you wish, but "standing waves of no
power" is a myth for idiots!

Oddly, "John", another source tells us:

Another hazard is the resonance of the magnetron tube itself. If the
microwave is run without an object to absorb the radiation, a standing
wave will form. The energy is reflected back and forth between the tube
and the cooking chamber.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven

Dave K8MN